Roquefort - A Cheese With An Excellent Reputation

Oct 14 2024

When a cheese is known as the ‘King of Blue Cheeses’ it has a lot to live up to. Blue cheese lovers are renowned to be the true connoisseurs of the cheese world, taking the distinctive characteristics of blue cheese and the sensory explosion of its taste, smell and appearance and finding new ways to explore its wonder. So, if they label a cheese as the ‘King of Blue Cheeses’ then you should probably take note. Which is why Roquefort cheese stands on its own as the world’s premier blue cheese, with an indisputable title and an excellent reputation.
Roquefort is an unpasteurised ewe’s milk cheese with protected designation of origin (PDO) status. It comes from the Causses region in the central area of southern France and gets its unique flavour from the rare combination of cool air and humidity in the mountainous region, which creates unique biological conditions. This results in an ivory-coloured cheese speckled with blue mould, the colour of which can vary depending on the strain of penicillin used. Roquefort is smooth, creamy and slightly moist, which helps to retain its freshness. But the wow factor comes in the taste.

The unique taste of Roquefort cheese

Many people have tried to describe the taste of Roquefort cheese, and we often settle on ‘strong’, but ‘subtle’. But that doesn’t quite do it justice, and we often delve into ‘tangy’ or even ‘lactic’, and we have also heard people say it has the taste of butyric acid. And who are we to argue? Nevertheless, the taste is out of this world and lends itself to a vast array of pairings – such as walnuts, figs, pears and endive and red and sweet wines – but you shouldn’t deny yourself the exceptional pleasure of occasionally tasting Roquefort on its own.

This taste is developed over an aging process which takes around five months, with the cheese ripened in natural cellars wrapped in foil. The amazing quality of the PDO milk also adds to the flavour and the smooth creaminess. But this flavour also gives Roquefort a bold versatility. It is great on its own on a French cheeseboard but is also used widely in a variety of recipes. We have seen it used in many different pasta sauces and in a gorgeous quiche, but we wanted to highlight two really easy recipes you should try which introduce some imaginative pairings and deliver a taste sensation.

Baked sweet potatoes and Roquefort salad – This is a beautifully fresh salad containing lettuce, walnuts, avocado, boiled eggs, baked sweet potato and of course diced Roquefort, which when combined provides a wonderful array of colour and healthy flavours. This is then drizzled with a dressing containing Dijon mustard, cider vinegar and honey for a meal which delivers punchy flavours with every mouthful.
Cantal shortbreads topped with Roquefort and butternut squash – A small bite which can be served as a starter, on a buffet or presented as an hors d’oeuvres with some pre-dinner aperitifs. This uses the best French dairy products to make a light shortbread containing grated Cantal cheese. It is then topped with diced butternut squash, diced Roquefort and caramelised onion, for a quaint and elegant dish which packs some delicate flavours.

How we can supply you with the best Roquefort cheese

So check out the many uses of Roquefort in cooking and if you are a chef who likes to use French cheeses then contact Sodiaal today. We can talk to you about the astonishing versatility and the many ways you can use its distinctive flavour and texture, and best of all, we can talk to you about how we can deliver the very best Roquefort cheese direct to you.